We recently connected with Edie Weintraub and have shared our conversation below.
Edie, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Your ability to build a team is often a key determinant of your success as a business owner and so we’d love to get a conversation going with successful entrepreneurs like yourself around what your recruiting process was like -especially early on. How did you build your team?
Building a team has been such a joy! Confidence in your abilities, your systems and your energy, is imperative, as you want to ensure the investment in your team allows them to blossom.
When I first started my company, I was the only one. Six months in, I started the search to build my team, as I wanted to teach others how they could be independent consultants, but be instrumental in building and connected to the amazing city we live in.
I leveraged LinkedIN, where I grew my connections from 2500 to 7500 during 2020-2021. I was intentional in my posts, focused on sharing with my network what was happening in Atlanta. My focus is in the food and beverage scene and how we could create better communities for all. After reviewing resumes of twenty-five candidates, I scheduled calls with five. One candidate particularly caught my interest, did not have a real estate license at that time, but was already scheduled to take the course. She was very soft spoken on the phone and I was unsure if commercial real estate would be a good fit. Our industry is social, loud and with a sales mentality, a role that requires commanding attention to get deals done.
I am thrilled to say this first hire has been my best decision yet! She’s a breath of fresh air and I value her input daily on how to make our company better. It’s through beta testing that we have created a platform to regroup with our new hires each thirty days for the first 3 months and then a check in at six months. It’s imperative to have goals set for each new hire so that everyone knows the goals and how to reach them.
Our team is collaborative above all else. In previous companies I’ve worked with, agents are often competitive with one another, as they dont want to share information for fear your client would take the space that their client is considering. We are the opposite. We realize that while we may have two clients that are considering the same space, it’s the Landlord/Developer that will choose if they want greek vs. smoothies in their space. Our company is designed for and rewards collaboration.
While we are currently remote, we meet at least once a week. Twice a month we meet for breakfast or lunch and compare notes on our clients, market updates and an overall check in. Twice a month we drive markets: discuss what’s coming available, who to be watching and identify sites for our clients and emerging brands for Landlords and properties we represent.
Edie, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
I am an insatiably curious real estate professional who studies developments, retailers and entertainment worldwide to enhance human centric design in my community. Since 2005, I have I have study and understand emerging restaurant trends and discover inspiring retailers everywhere I go.
I lead a team that advises new + established retail, hospitality + restaurant brands to provide experiences and create places that make people feel good. Armed with a history in restaurant and retail operations, we also consult with owners and developers who recognize the needs to transform their properties. My team and I are passionate about guiding clients on their positioning in the market to reach their largest audience. We are wellness/retail/F&B/
How did you build your audience on social media?
Our clients are restaurants, retailers, service providers and real estate developers. Starting in March of 2020, everything was on hold. Deals that were in the pipeline, even Leases that were signed, we’re terminated. It was during this time that I strategically built my network.
I’m the gal at a conference who aims to meet as many people as possible. It’s a win for me to secure business cards, expand my network and meet new people. In the time of the Pandemic, the only way for me to do that was through Linkedin. Because the entire world was home bound, I used the time to connect with professionals in London, Sydney, and Tel Aviv.
I leveraged my nieces and nephews to teach me Instagram and TikTok and taught myself how to build websites. It was during this time, I realized that commercial real estate could be better. I saw a future with every agent and their own audience. People work with people, not with companies and regardless of the companies I was with, my clients have always followed me. I was on a mission to build my personal brand online through networking, but also storytelling.
Any thoughts, advice, or strategies you can share for fostering brand loyalty?
Part of what sets us apart from our competitors is that we are TRULY focused on helping our clients grow. Nothing gives us more pleasure than seeing an emerging brand scale from 1 to 4 locations and part of our effort is in helping to build the foundation to make this happen.
We are not transaction brokers. We deep dive into our clients business, advise on brand building, assisting in social media, PR, content creation and storytelling. We create brand books for our clients to present to owners and developers, as these owners and developers may not have time to secret shop or meet the brands who want to lease space in their buildings. Yes, this is time consuming, but we do it to help us tell the story and show owners that we’re much more than a tenant in their building. The clients we represent in leasing space are ultimately the ones that help build community around the property.
Conversely, when we’re representing a owner/developer/Landlord, we’re in the weeds with the local municipality, engaging them and supporting the requests of their residents to build and shape a property so that it is warmly welcomed and we bring the community what they are asking for. For our latest project in downtown Lilburn, we met with economic development, existing restaurants in the area and residents before deciding to take on the assignment. We wanted to ensure that our engagement in building main street would be well received.
Even after Leases are signed, we’re monitoring and ensuring construction is moving smoothly and open lines of communication exist on any project we work on. We’re on site documenting the process and sharing the journey. There is nothing more satisfying than seeing a project go from dirt to building to opening where a space you worked on for a year or more finally has life breathing in it with locals spending money in the Tenant’s space. Not only are we helping a business owner open a new location, our team is enhancing the communities we work in by building experiences.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.terraalma.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/terraalma_/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/terra-alma/?viewAsMember=true
- Twitter: https://mobile.twitter.com/edieeverywhere
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChka5k_ToN1rFB7i8JuqO1w